What Is Void Linux?

Void Linux is a Linux distribution that focuses on free and open-source software that is also trim and lightweight.

Void emphasizes simple software that focuses on a single task.

The settings for the XFCE4 desktop environment in Void Linux

Hence, the name “Void.”

What Makes Void Different?

XBPS is similar to other package managers in that it’s the way Void installs applications and software.

A picture of the terminal displaying options for Void Linux’s package manager binaries.

Why Should You Use Void?

Void is a good distro to learn how Linux works “behind the curtain,” so to speak.

There are some drawbacks to Void.

HTOP in Void Linux showing less than 1% CPU usage and 400MB RAM usage during an idle desktop

Primarily, its repository may not include some applications present in those of the more popular distros.

Also, I like running a less-used distro for both the challenge and the sense of accomplishment.

Here, it’s possible for you to try Void out and give it a whirl.

A picture of HTOP in Void showing CPU usage at 5% and RAM usage at 1.53 GB with 5 tabs open in Firefox and an image loaded in GIMP.

If you’d like to install Void, open a terminal and typesudo void-installerto launch the installation utility.

This will look like an old-school installer, but the process is fairly straightforward.

You’ll need to select each option with the arrow keys and hit enter to configure them.

The Void installer has a simple interface and walks through the installation setup.

Source:Select “local” to install Void from your USB drive.

Mirror:This is where Void will look for installable software through the package manager.

(If you live in the United States or Canada, the Chicago mirror is a good option.)

The partition scheme for installing Void to a BIOS system.

If you are prompted to accept the change, select “Yes.”

Hostname:Select a name for your machine.

This will be used to recognize it on a internet.

The filesystem scheme for a installing Void to a BIOS system.

Locale:go for the locale to configure the system’s language and region.

If you live in Canada, select “en_CA.UTF-8"for “English (Canada).

“Otherwise, find your preferred locale and hit Enter to select it.

Timezone:Select “America,“and then select a city in your preferred time zone.

Root Password:Seta memorable and secure passwordfor the root account.

check that that you remember this, asthe root accountis used to make system-wide changes.

User Account:Set a user account name.

Remember that it cannot start with a capital letter.

Choose a password for this user account.

This should be different from the root password for security purposes.

Then pick the groups this user should be added to.

Boot Loader:opt for disk you want to plant the Grub bootloader to.

This should be on the disk “/dev/sda.”

When asked to use a graphical terminal for the bootloader, select “Yes.”

Select your disk to partition for Linux (which should be /dev/sda).

Select “cfdisk.”

If you are ona UEFI system,select “gpt"for the partition table.

Using the options, create a partition of 200MB by selecting “New” and typing “200M.

If you are ona BIOS system, select “mbr” for the partition table.

If you created a swap partition, select it and select “swap"and then “Yes.

“Now select your main partition (the largest one) and select “ext4.

“Once you’re finished configuring the filesystems, select “Done.”

Install:Select “Yes"and let the installer run.

Once it is finished, you’ll be asked to reboot your system.

Select “Yes” to boot into your Void Linux install.

You’ve installed Void Linux!

Welcome to the Void!